Last Updated:August 24, 2026, 15:43 IST

The NITI Aayog report also highlighted barriers within workplaces which can restrict the transfer of advanced skills and slow progression into higher-value roles.

As per NITI Aayog report, just 8.5% of ITI trainees took up apprenticeships in 2018. (File/Representative)

Apprenticeships and internships—critical pathways for connecting education with employment—are still concentrated among a limited pool of employers. 80% of higher-education students cite lack of practical experience and industry exposure as a major pain point, while 47% of formal workers identify lack of prior work experience and internships as the top challenge in finding new jobs, according to a NITI Aayog report, Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047.

Furthermore, MSME participation is particularly low: only around 32,000 of nearly 60 million registered MSMEs had engaged apprentices under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS). Meanwhile, just 8.5% of ITI trainees took up apprenticeships in 2018.

One of the main reason behind this is lack of awareness of credible and high-quality apprenticeships, the report added.

Although the platforms serve different schemes and purposes, their parallel operation increases friction and reduces the visibility of genuine opportunities, the report said. It recommended developing a single, unified access window at the state level, bringing together central and state apprenticeship programmes and aligning them with the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH).

The report also highlighted barriers within workplaces, including informal gatekeeping by senior workers, particularly in vocational trades, which can restrict the transfer of advanced skills and slow progression into higher-value roles.

For students and early-career learners, internships and apprenticeships are often short-term or tokenistic, meaning work-based learning does not consistently function as a bridge between education and employment, it said.

NITI Aayog called for standalone skilling programmes to shift from top-down, supply-driven offerings to demand-driven, outcome-linked and industry-backed models. It identified industry-led skilling for high-growth sectors, large-scale employability and entrepreneurship training, and reskilling for sectors facing technological disruption as key priorities.

The report said the need for reform is heightened by rapid changes driven by artificial intelligence, automation and the emerging climate context, which are reshaping job requirements. India’s young population, with a median age of 28, further underscores the need for flexible, industry-aligned and job-ready learning pathways.

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How can India improve its apprenticeship programs?

India can improve its apprenticeship programs by increasing awareness of credible and high-quality opportunities, and by addressing workplace barriers that restrict the transfer of advanced skills and slow progression into higher-value roles. Greater participation from micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is also needed.

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